Two resources that can improve your church culture

At Church Community Builder, nothing is more important to us than maintaining a work culture where our people have a sense of ownership in what we do, are empowered to use their gifts, and genuinely enjoy their work. Last weekend, the entire staff took a few days in the mountains to do just that. We ate, played, and worshiped together. We had an opportunity to be together as a team and thank God for this crazy journey on which He's brought us. It was super refreshing and very meaningful.

I’ve found two resources that unpack ways to improve your church culture. The common denominator for these books is that morale at work rises and falls on leadership. I encourage you to buy a copy of each of these for everybody on your staff. Then take time during your weekly staff meeting to talk about the material. I did this with our Sales team recently and it was powerful!

Here are two books I found useful in nailing down practical ways to improve your workplace culture:

The Arbinger Institute’s book focuses on the concept of self-deception, which they define as “acting in ways contrary to what one knows is right.” This cognitive dissonance is connected directly with leadership problems. According to the book, “however well intentioned they may be, leaders who deceive themselves always end up undermining their own performance.”

What is your biggest challenge within your church’s culture? Have you successfully changed the tide? Have you seen firsthand how changes in leadership affect everyone else? Please share in the comments.